Finding A Good Knife Sharpener

Knife sharpening was recognized as an important part of tool maintenance since the very first primitive tool was made.

In the Colonial times, a grist mill was often the first building to be set up and running when a new settlement was being formed. That is because these pioneers recognized that without sharp tools, the rest of the building would be slowed dramatically.

Sharpening tools today are based on the same physics as the old grist mills and whet stones but a little more advanced and with a lot power. For instance, grinding wheels once powered by water wheels are now zapped with electricity to speed up the sharpening process dramatically. It now takes only a fraction of the time to properly sharpen its tools.

What to Look for in a Knife Sharpener

A knife sharper that will serve you well for many years can take on several forms.

The bench top grinder, for example, is good for sharpening axe blades and gardening tools.

Tormek makes a knife and scissor sharpener that is a bench top grinder with water to reduce friction. The grinder also comes as a complete package with a leather strop, although some users recommend using a paper wheel to hone and strop the edges of the knife.

Another lower cost option is the JET JBG-8W, 8-Inch Bench Grinder with Wire Wheel. For shops that may be short on space, this grinder delivers work power and dual options in polishing, deburring, edge blending, finishing, and more, all on one machine.

The most important item to look for in a knife sharpener is versatility. Can it sharpen longer knife blades? Can it strop the edges adequately? Are the replacement parts easy to obtain? These are all considerations to make carefully especially in light of the fact that knife sharpeners suitable for heavy duty tool maintenance can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

Knife Sharpeners for Everyday Uses

Of course the heavy duty grinding wheels are probably for the serious woodworkers and landscapers. For everyone else there is a wide array of options that are much less expensive and even more portable.

The handheld knife sharpener like that you would find in a butcher shop is a basic, non-electric tool. Other variations on this are the wheeled knife sharpeners where the blade is drawn between two hard wheels. Abrasive materials against which a knife is drawn at about a 30 degree angle is how each works, whether electric or manual.

For the serious knife sharpener, you’ll want to use the tried and true method used for years.  All you’ll need is a whetstone and the proper technique.

You can still get good quality sharpening by hand or through electronic means. The skill of the knife owner at angling and stopping the blade is still at the heart of how sharp you can get your tools.